“So I’d like to give a toast to Billie, for bringing our brother back.” Cash raises his beer. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for beingyou. And for loving my brother so dang well. Welcome to the family, Billie.”
I would raise my glass, but I can’t because I’m bursting into ugly, heaving sobs.
“Aw, honey.” Mom comes over to give me a hug, and I see that she’s crying too.
Everyone is crying. Ryder and Cash and Mollie and baby Maggie, who lets out a wail. Ava is passing tissues around, and Sawyer is hugging two of my brothers at once.
Ryder presses a kiss to my lips. “You really are family now.”
“Aren’t weallfamily now?” Colt wipes his eyes. “All fifty of us? Or however many people are in this kitchen right now?”
Dad nods. “I like that idea.”
“I could get on board with that,” Nash adds. “But do we need a significant other to be included? Because I haven’t found mine yet.”
I lean my head on his shoulder. “Your membership is pending your pairing off.”
“Dang.”
Beck sighs. “I’m out, then.”
“Oh, please, y’all are in,” Cash says. “Ain’t no rushing these things. Your time will come.”
Mom holds up her crossed fingers. “That’s the hope.”
When we sit down to eat, Colt makes a point of sitting next to me so that I’m wedged between him and Ryder.
“You’re smothering me,” I say as I sip my wine.
Colt unfolds his napkin and sets it on his lap. “It’s how I show my love. You’re welcome.”
Ryder grabs Robbie from Duke so he can eat. The food is out-of-this-world delicious. I’ve never been the biggest fan of turkey, but I’ve never had it smoked before. The flavor is unreal, juicy and salty and just all-around perfect. Paired with Mom’s corn pudding, Patsy’s collards with bacon, and a big scoop of the most perfect dressing ever known to man, this food just might be my favorite meal that I’ve ever had.
“We have a little tradition in our family that y’all might like to hear about,” Dad says. “Something we call?—”
“Rose and thorn!” Dean wiggles in his chair. “Can we do it, Pawpaw? Please? I can start.”
Colt chuckles. “Dude, you always start.”
“But this is our new family.” Dean glances around the tables. “So I wasn’t sure if I could still be first.”
Wyatt nudges him with his elbow. “Spotlight is all yours, buddy. Go for it.”
“Okay.” Dean straightens. “So this is how it works. You tell everyone what your least favorite part of your day was, and that’s your thorn. And then after that, you tell everyone the best part of your day. That’s the rose. Because roses have thorns. Get it?”
Sally nods. “I love this game already. Show us how it’s done.”
“Cool. So today, my thorn was having to leave school, because I love my teacher.”
Colt grins. “You think you have a little crush on Ms. Loo?”
“Of course I have a crush on Ms. Loo.” Dean grabs his water and takes a gulp. “She’s the most beautiful girl alive. Well,after Lainey. And my rose was today being dessert day in the cafeteria.”
“What’d you get?” Cash asks.
Dean’s grin is a mirror image of his father’s. “Chocolate cake!”
Sawyer’s grabbing Ella and putting her on his lap. “I like this game. You wanna go next, Ella?”
